Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Russia responds in writing to US ahead of Blinken-Lavrov call on Ukraine crisis
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 01 - 02 - 2022

The United States has received a written response from Moscow after it sent its own written answers following face-to-face meetings on the ongoing Ukraine crisis, the latest development in the ongoing diplomatic campaign aimed at deterring a potential Russian invasion of the country.
Moscow's response comes days after Washington submitted its own documents to Moscow and ahead of a planned phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Tuesday.
A senior State Department official and a State Department spokesperson confirmed Monday that they "received a written follow-up from Russia."
"It would be unproductive to negotiate in public, so we'll leave it up to Russia if they want to discuss their response," the spokesperson said. "We remain fully committed to dialogue to address these issues and will continue to consult closely with our Allies and partners, including Ukraine."
Public reactions to those US written responses -- in which administration officials said the US voiced willingness to work with Russia on things like arms control but refused to give room on NATO's "open door" policy -- have been largely pessimistic.
It is unclear if Moscow's written response, first reported by the Washington Post, was received before or after Monday's UN Security Council meeting over Moscow's escalation along the border with Ukraine, which ended in a standoff between the US and Russia.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters following the session, in which the US accused Russia of planning to mass tens of thousands of troops along the Belarus-Ukraine border, that the US "called for this meeting to allow the Russians to give us an explanation of what their actions are."
"We didn't hear much," she said. "They didn't give us the answers that any of us would have hoped that they would provide."
The open meeting at the UN headquarters in New York proceeded Monday despite opposition from China and Russia.
US officials have repeatedly urged Moscow to take a diplomatic path forward, warning that a renewed invasion of Ukraine would result in swift and significant sanctions -- a message reiterated by President Joe Biden on Monday while the meeting was underway.
In her remarks to the Security Council Monday, Thomas-Greenfield said, "We continue to hope Russia chooses the path of diplomacy over the path of conflict in Ukraine. But we cannot just 'wait and see.' It is crucial that this Council address the risk that their aggressive and destabilizing behavior poses across the globe."
She spoke of Russia's buildup of more than 100,000 troops along its border with Ukraine, as well as US intelligence that Russia has moved nearly 5,000 troops into Belarus and intends to mass "more than 30,000 troops near the Belarus-Ukraine border ... by early February."
"If Russia further invades Ukraine, none of us will be able to say we didn't see it coming. And the consequences will be horrific," Thomas-Greenfield said.
Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia claimed UN colleagues are "whipping up tensions and rhetoric," saying that the US and others wanted conflict to take place.
"This deployment of Russian troops in our own territory is getting our Western and US colleagues to say that there's going to be a planned military action and even an act of aggression ... the military action of Russia against Ukraine that they're all assuring us is going to take place in just a few weeks' time if not a few days' time. There, however, is no proof confirming such a serious accusation whatsoever being put forward," he said in translated remarks at the meeting.
"You are almost calling for this, you want it to happen. You're waiting for it to happen, as if you want to make your words become a reality. This is despite the fact that we are constantly rejecting these allegations and this is despite the fact that no threat of a planned invasion into Ukraine from the lips of any Russian politician or public figure over all of this period has been made," Nebenzia said.
Thomas-Greenfield responded that it was Moscow that was being provocative, not the US or its Security Council partners.
"We have made clear our commitment to the path of diplomacy. I hope our Russian colleagues will also choose this path and engage peacefully with the international community, including Ukraine," she said. — CNN


Clic here to read the story from its source.